Karkoitus paratiisista

Zbyněk Brynych was the type of director who relied more on sheer willpower than on the weight of his talent, and for the greater part of his career, he could be considered more of a diligent routine worker than a creative artist (regardless of his involvement during the normalization period, when he took on more than necessary). Nevertheless, he left behind several films in the 60s that are undoubtedly worth watching, fitting into the 60s as the peak phase of Czechoslovak cinema. Not to say that the film about the Theresienstadt concentration camp doesn't have its weaker moments, suffering at times from unnecessary loss of pace or logical inconsistencies (would the camp commander really embark on a futile battle against resistance members with just one soldier?), but on the other hand, the atmosphere of the ghetto and the gloomy anticipation of transport to the Auschwitz hell are impressively portrayed. At a time when, according to online discussions, there is a growing desire to acquire some more refined concentration camp films again, it wouldn't hurt to remind ourselves of what it would actually mean in practice (including the dry daily report of 300 natural deaths per day). Personally, I consider Transport from Paradise to be Brynych's best piece of work. Some mixed comments and ratings are paradoxically a consequence of Brynych's attempt to avoid overly cheap and audience-friendly communication. This drama simply demands more from the viewer than superficial attention and a passive attitude. It tries (admittedly, not always with ideal results) to speak with a new film language and seek new perspectives, unlike what was customary in the 50s. Last but not least, this film is a showcase of young actors' faces, who in some cases we only know from stories and others only as considerably older gentlemen. Overall impression: 75%. (05.02.2014)

In 1962 they still couldn't make retro films with a proper period set design, and it was also very difficult for the next 20 years. Once again we are witnessing a film where in the concentration camps the women prisoners apparently read books by Burda... (09.03.2009)